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From the Editor: What’s that in Your Hands?

Is the copy of Metro Lutheran you re holding the one that costs $21,978? Or are you reading from one of the many issues that cost 19 cents each?

What do I mean by this? People often ask me how much it actually costs to produce a copy of Metro Lutheran. I tell them that every issue except one costs 19 cents. That is the price of the ink, paper, and distribution. That’s why it isn’t all that expensive for us to print a few extra copies in hopes that more people will see the paper.

Bob Hulteen

However, the first issue, that’s the expensive one. That’s the one that pays for salaries and rent and computers and cameras and proofreaders and convention travel and board meetings and so on.

If we only printed one copy of Metro Lutheran, our budget wouldn’t be all that different. The next 30,000 issues are relatively cheap.

Why am I telling you this? We don’t just print one copy, because we believe we have a responsibility to tell the story of who Lutherans are and the ministries they’re carrying out in the Twin Cities area.

And we need your help to carry on this mission.

Metro Lutheran is the broadest point of connection of Lutherans currently in the nation. And, with ever-shifting ground, don’t you think it is good to have at least one place for all those who make confessional claim to Lutheran lineage to keep track of each other?

Metro Lutheran is independent. We don’t receive money from any judicatory body. The board includes people from five different Lutheran church bodies, as well as someone from an independent Lutheran congregation. In this newspaper, readers see a wide range of views on issues before Lutheran communities.

I do confess, my brothers and sisters, to a certain amount of pride in the work of Metro Lutheran. The newspaper has recently received national recognition. A new Web site is generating new interest both here and across the country. A Facebook page and Twitter account means new access, especially with the next generation of Lutheran leaders.

Please consider helping us expand this work. As the newspaper celebrates its 25th anniversary, support this Lutheran resource.